The Black Law Students Association at South Texas College of Law Houston is hosting a panel discussion Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. featuring four prominent Black attorneys from the Houston area.
The event, part of the law school’s Black History Month celebration, will be held in Garrett Townes Auditorium at the law school, located at 1303 San Jacinto Street in Houston.
The panelists will discuss their experience as Black attorneys and as students as well as share their thoughts on the state of the justice system and the important role Black attorneys play within that system.
The event is free and open to the public. A cocktail reception will follow the discussion.
Here are the panelists’ bios:
Captain Reginald E. McKamie has achieved the AV®Rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, one of America’s most exclusive directory of lawyers. A member of the U.S. Navigation Safety Advisory Council, McKamie was appointed to the council by two U.S. Secretaries of Transportation. He also is a member of the National Academy of Science Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C. McKamie has attained Proctor status, the highest membership category for practicing lawyers of The Maritime Law Association of the United States. He received a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, an MBA from the University of Southern California and a J.D. degree from the University of Houston, where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.
Eric J. Davis, Trial Chief, joined the Public Defender’s Office in September 2011. He has been a practicing attorney since 1994. Prior to joining the PDO, Davis was a criminal defense lawyer in private practice. He has tried 100-plus cases to verdict as lead counsel, winning over 80 percent of them. In 2006, Davis received an Unsung Hero Award from the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association and the Man of the Year Award from the Houston Business and Professional Women’s Association. He had helped free a man who had been wrongfully imprisoned for over 18 years for an alleged sexual assault of a child. Davis graduated magna cum laude from Howard University and from Tulane University Law School with honors. He is also a graduate and staff member of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College.
Tyrone C. Moncriffe is board certified in criminal law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a faculty member of the Criminal Defense Institute. He is certified for first chair in death penalty cases in Harris County and also lectures on acting and storytelling in trials, where he uses skills learned from Sandra Zimmer’s Self-Expression Center in Houston. In 2013, Moncriffe earned a presidential award from Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) President Lydia C. Jackson for his work in the organization, and he received the most nominations for the Top 50 Black Lawyers of Houston. He was honored with a Trailblazer Award from the Harris County Black Criminal Lawyers in 2015, The Presidential Award 2015 for work with TCDLA, voted a National Top One Percent Lawyer 2015 and a Best Attorney charter member 2015. He graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University. Moncriffe graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1982.
Former U.S. Representative Craig Washington graduated No. 1 in his class from Texas Southern University Law School in 1969. While in law school, he was captain of the Moot Court Team, president of the Student Bar Association and research assistant to the dean of the law school. In November 1982, Washington was elected to State Senate District 13 for the 68th Legislature. He was the second Black to have served in the Texas State Senate since Reconstruction. Washington was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent the 18th Congressional District following the tragic death of his friend Rep. George Thomas “Mickey” Leland. He was first sworn in on Jan. 12, 1990 then re-elected in November 1990 and November 1992.
